Books

The advent of machine learning algorithms in publishing ushered the era of online book recommendations. First there was Goodreads, and then came Amazon. And now, there’s Tertulia, which scrapes an excessive amount of public data to recommend books to its users. There are also others out there that function similarly, be it an app or a website. However, even with their prevalence these days, algorithms still make plenty of mistakes, and you would think twice about using it when you dig deeper and discover its limitations. But before we get...

Since its founding in 1917, the Pulitzer Prize has recognized excellence in journalism, arts, and literature. You can see the winners in all categories, including 15 Journalism categories, at the Pulitzer website. You can also watch the ceremony in full on YouTube below. Here are the 2023 Pulitzer Prize winners in the Books categories. Today In Books Newsletter Sign up to Today In Books to receive daily news and miscellany from the world of books. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. By signing up you...

What is literary fiction? I’ve been trying to figure it out, and I’m stumped. (Let me just say this up front: this essay is about 750 words, and I absolutely do not give a definitive definition anywhere in those words.) Like any genre or age category, “literary fiction” is a designation that is primarily a marketing tool, an idea of where to find a book in a bookstore…but genre is also supposed to give readers an idea of what to expect, at least in very broad terms, and I don’t...

How is the happy ending in a romance “earned?” What sort of redemption arc or emotional growth does a main character need to go through to “deserve” love? What mistakes are “unforgivable” for romance characters to make? These kinds of questions trouble me as a romance reader because they can require the genre to provide moral justification for its existence. Not being deep in the discourse for other genres, I couldn’t say if other literature is similarly scrutinized. But I can say that I often find myself wishing people would...

There are dozens of censorship bills under consideration across the country. You can keep tabs on them and their status over at EveryLibrary, who have been diligently tracking them and getting people to write and show up to put an end to them. It will shock absolutely no one to see how many of those book ban bills overlap with 533 bills proposed this year targeting trans people. But writing about the not good stuff doesn’t always seem to garner the same kind of fervor or action that writing about...

The Illinois Senate has passed HB 2789, a bill whose terms dictate that state funding from public or school libraries that remove books from circulation will be withheld. As per the bill, the $62 million of funding that goes to the state’s libraries will only be eligible for said funding if they “adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights” or “develop a written statement prohibiting the practice of banning books or other materials within the library or library system.“ Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois’s newly selected Secretary of State, first drafted the bill...

The trailer for Dune: Part Two is here! The trailer teases for the second part of the onscreen adaptation of Dune, published in 1965 by Frank Herbert. Dune is a multi-award winning and nominated book that is recognized as one of the most influential works of fantasy. The trailer released today opens with Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) looking out over a desert and describing the concept of the sea to an unbelieving Chani (played by Zendaya). The rest of the trailer showcases epic battles, stunning visuals, and Princess...

A group of University of California at Berkeley (UCB) students are entering the second full week of occupying the school’s Anthropology Library, slated for closure. The silent protest organized by students has had them setting up makeshift beds among the library collections, and they plan to remain inside until the school agrees to keep the facility open. The Anthropology Library is only one of its kind at a public university in the United States, and it is one of only three at any higher education institution. UCB Chancellor Carol Christ...

Following his death in 2014, rumors swirled among readers and scholars that several never-before-seen works by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez existed. Some speculated they were held by family and others thought maybe they existed somewhere in the author’s vast archives at the University of Texas’s Harry Ransom Center. Fans no longer need to speculate: there is a new novel from the beloved writer hitting shelves across Latin America in 2024. Penguin Random House confirmed that En Agosto Nos Vemos–We’ll See Each Other in August–is real. Even before the author...

I grew up on Star Wars, so you can imagine that science fiction, space fantasy, and science fiction romance have a special place in my heart. After all, what is Star Wars if not an epic science fiction love story? (Don’t try to fight me on this.) There’s just something about the combination of science fiction elements — you know, epic space battles, intergalactic political intrigue — and romance that work together to create the sense of a love story of epic proportions. Maybe it’s the grand scale of space...

In 1894, a group of women banded together to honor their history and legacy. These women, all white, established themselves as the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) in Nashville and set to work venerating the history of the Confederacy. UDC established both a national chapter and chapters throughout member states in the south, their messaging coming from the top and disseminating down to the ground. The UDC saw their primary mission as supporting and encouraging the erection of confederate monuments across the south. In doing so, they hoped to...

ThriftBooks, where teachers get FREE BOOKS!Buy 4 used books, get a 5th one free with ThriftBooks teacher-only promo code! Teachers, faculty, and staff members at accredited K-12 schools and universities, as well as homeschool instructors, childcare workers, and library staff can qualify for our educator program, ThriftBooks 4 Teachers™. Get more for less with ThriftBooks, with millions of used books under $5. Learn more and sign up at ThriftBooks.com, it’s free to join! And don’t miss out on our special offer, get bonus points through 4/28. Raise a glass (or...

The 2023 Women’s Prize shortlist as been announced. The six books were judged by broadcaster and writer Louise Minchin, journalist and writer Bella Mackie, novelist Rachel Joyce, writer Irenosen Okojie, and member of parliament, Tulip Siddiq. They were described by judges as being “ambitious, eclectic, and hard-hitting” Half of the shortlisted authors are debut novelists, while the other half are authors who have won the Women’s Prize or been shortlisted before. Four of the nominated authors are British, one is Irish, and one America, but the settings within the books...

Barnes & Noble is taking 25% off certain pre-order books, ebooks, and audiobooks with the code PREORDER25. The list of eligible books and audiobooks include popular series and books by bestselling authors. You can pick up the Bridgerton prequel Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhines, the cozy fantasy sequel to Legends & Lattess (the audiobook is read by the author!), and lots more. Below are just a few selections you may want to add to your cart. For a full list, visit the sale’s page. The sale is...